Improvement in fire-extinguishers for railway-cars



W'. L. BRAKE.

Fire-Extinguishers fnr Railvllay}ars.l

N0 147,248, Patented Feb.10.1874

B is the stove. G is thc discharge-pipe.

U NrrED STATES PATENT FFICE.

IEAR L. BRAKE, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,248, dated February 10, 1874 application filed February 27, 1873.

CASE D.

. Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to Fire-Extinguishers,

. of which improvements the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, which will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a railway-car provided with my improved extinguisher in combination with the stove, and Fig. 2 anfend view of the extinguisher.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention consists in combining a selfrotary tire-extinguisher with the stove of a railway-car insuch a manner that the contents of the extinguisher may be discharged into the stove through axed or non-rotating dischargepipe, by means of a manual operation, at any time, and automatically by reason of an accident which otherwise might result in setting the car on iire. It also consists in certain novel features relating to the means employed for the purpose ot rendering the extinguisher selfrotary, and for the purpose of conneetin g a rotary extinguisher to a discharge-pipe, so that the latter will not be affected by the rotary movement of the extinguisher.

In the drawing, A represents an extinguisher. I) is the reservoir of the extinguisher. The discharge-pipe communicates with the stove and with the reservoir, so that the contents of the latter may be discharged into the stove for the purpose of extinguishing the tire, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. E is the supf porting-frame ofthe extinguisher. E E' E are friction-rollers pivoted to each end of the frame E at about equal distances apart, and in the line of a full circle. F is an annular rib or iian ge projecting laterally from each end ot' the reservoir, and resting on the rollers E. The

reservoir is thus rendered capable of a rotary movement. G is a coiled spring, one end of which is attached to the frame and the other end to the reservoir. When the reservoir is turned in a direction opposite to the direction ofthe force of the spring and released, the action ofthe spring rotates the reservoir until the force of the spring is expended. The reservoir isthus rendered self-rotary. H is a stop-pin on the reservoir, and I is a lever pivoted to the frame and engaging with the pin H, thereby retaining the reservoir in position while the force of the spring Gr is being exerted upon it. The lever I may be drawn from its engagement with the pin H at any time by a manual operation. H is also a stop-pin on the frame. The pins H and II are arranged to engage each other, and thereby limit the rotary movement of the reservoir when it is operated upon by the spring G. .I is the car-truck. The lever I extends to the truck, and is arranged between the truck-frame and a pin j. The distance between the frame and the pin j is such that neither the truck nor the pin j will be brought into contact with the lever I under ordinary circumstances; but an unusual movement of the truck, such as would be liable to occur in case of a serious accident, will throw the lever from its engagement with the pin H, and thereby set the extinguisher in operation.

The extinguisher herein represented belongs to that class from which the contents are discharged by means ot' gas generated `in the extinguisher, and which is set in operation by being tilted or inverted, and that part of my invention which relates to the extinguisher alone has reference to'an extinguisher of the class above set forth; but any extinguisher under the control of an operator, or which may be set in operation automatically, may be combined with the stove, so that the contents of the extinguisher will be discharged into the stove through a discharge-pipe communicating with both. I deem it preferable, however, to employ, for the purposes set forth, an extinguisher of the class herein shown and particularly described; and when an extinguisher ot this class is provided with a discharge-pipe, C, and 'employed for this and for other purposes, it is essential that the said pipe should not be aiiected by the movement of the reservoir.

I therefore attach the pipe C to the reservoir in the following manner: C is the head ofthe pipe C, and is matched to the tubular projection C, extending` a short Way horizontally from one end of the reservoir, as shown in Fig. 3. K is an annular packing interposed between the end of the head C and the end of the tube C. L is a clamp or clevis engaging the head C and set loosely on the tube C, and behind the shoulder c. L is a Wedge-shaped key passing through slots or perfor-ations in the clamp L, so as to hold the head L rmly against its packino. I deem it preferable to bevel the head C and the end of the tube C, as shown, so as to make a rm joint. In other Words, the pipe C is loosejointed to the reservoir, but rendered Water-tight, and it is unaffected by the movement of the reservoir.

Having thus described my invention7 what I'elaim as new7 and desire to secure by Let` ters Iatent, is

l. A self-rotary fire-extinguisher provided with a fixed or non-rotating discharge-pipe, arranged to conduct the contents of the extinguisher into the stove of a railway-car during the operation of the extinguisher, substantially as and for the purposes specied.

2. A rotary nre-extinguisher, in combination with friction-rollers constituting the bearing of the reservoir7 substantially as specified.

3. The spring Gr, or its equivalent, in combination With a rotary re-extinguisher, and constituting the means by which the reservoir is rotated, substantially as specified.

4. The pivoted lever I7 in combination with the pin II of a self-rotary fire-extinguisher, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The discharge-pipe C, in combination With a rotary nre-extinguisher, and rendered unaffected during the rotary movement of the reservoir by means of a loose-jointed attach ment to the latter.

HEAR L. BRAKE.

Vitnesses:

F. F. WARNER, N. G. G-RIDLEY. 

